Aga Khan's 11-day India visit to begin from today

He is visiting India on an invitation of the vice president.

Credits: Aga Khan Development Network/www.akdn.org&nbsp

New Delhi: Shah Karim Al Hussaini, the Aga Khan, will arrive here on Tuesday on an 11-day visit, during which he will hold talks with Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said yesterday. During his stay from February 20 to March 2, the Aga Khan will also meet President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He is visiting India on an invitation of the vice president. The Aga Khan is the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and is the 49th hereditary Imam (Spiritual Leader) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. Sunder Nursery, a 90-acre park near Humayun's Tomb here, will be inaugurated by Naidu in the presence of the Aga Khan on February 21, the MEA said in a statement.

The park, a part of the Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Initiative, is a partnership between the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Aga Khan Foundation, Central Public Works Department, South Delhi Municipal Corporation and Archaeological Survey of India. In addition to these engagements, the Aga Khan will be visiting Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Mumbai, where AKDN is involved in various development projects.

Hussaini was conferred Padma Vibhushan by the then president Pranab Mukherjee for his contributions to social development in India during his previous visit to the country in 2015.